Milwaukee power pop stalwarts The Lackloves are no strangers to small clubs, badly-paying gigs and hard work. So, when international indie Rainbow Quartz inked the band to a deal two years ago, it looked as if it would all finally pay off.

But, the success of "Starcitybaby," the first disc for Rainbow Quartz -- and its accompanying tours in Europe and Asia -- went beyond what singer and guitarist Mike Jarvis, bassist Jack Rice, guitarist Don Moore and drummer Tommy D had expected.

"(There was) a great sense of accomplishment and satisfaction was felt by all involved," says Jarvis. "For me, in addition to being able to put out records, being able to do this sort of touring was always the dream. It was always about being able to tour internationally. Actually achieving that makes me incredibly thankful. Definitely not something to be taken for granted."

For a band more used to Points East Pub than points (far) east on a map, the tours were more than just fun, they were real eye-openers.

"As for Europe and Japan, it's hard to put into words -- 'fantastic' and 'wonderful' simply don't do the experience justice," says Jarvis. "When we were in Tokyo, Tom mentioned it was as if we'd 'stepped through the looking glass' -- which sums it up quite well. Definitely surreal. In Spain, we were being driven around to various radio and television studios to do interviews and tapings for a couple different TV shows -- now how much more surreal can it get for a Milwaukee band?! Maybe 'unreal' is a better word to use.

"Personally, I always had wanderlust for England so, playing London and Oxford was really a milestone for me. We met great people every place we went and you can't beat that. In addition to all that, we were afforded plenty of time to just knock around."

But with all that knocking around, gigging, time spent in airports, taxis and TV studios, where did Jarvis and company find time to write another dozen gems for "The Beat and the Time," due out on Rainbow Quartz on June 1?

"I rarely sit down to write so I never really make time for it," Jarvis says. "Tunes just sort of pop into my head at any given time. My problem is that I'm lazy and won't actually take pen to paper until the absolute last minute -- which is usually when the label calls and asks how far along we are. Then I crank it up. I think I was finishing up many of the songs for "The Beat and the Time" while we were actually recording others for it."

While the songs on the disc don't shatter rock's boundaries, they once again attest to Jarvis and Moore's melodic sensibilities and their obvious love of classic Britpop. But this time 'round there are some samples, sound effects and a nice sharp edge.

"Production-wise, we tried to be a little more adventurous -- and if you hear this new one, I think you'll know what I mean," says Jarvis. "It wasn't completely 'straight' all the way through. I think there's a lot of depth. It's still guitar-driven pop, but we did try to run with the ball of string a bit, too."

The Lackloves will launch "The Beat and the Time" with a hometown record release party and then expect to head back to Europe. But even though the band members all have day jobs, they've got a full schedule planned for The Lackloves.

"I believe we'll be heading over the pond again in late summer/early fall," Jarvis says. "Spain for sure, probably England, and possibly the Netherlands this time out. It's always a surprise to us. I'm about to sign a publishing deal so hopefully Lackloves' songs will be popping up on TV and movies someday.

"I'm going to attempt to get the band back in the studio late fall as I don't want to wait another two years in between releases but, I'm sure the lads aren't holding their breath on that one! Oh, and the day jobs. We'll still be at those."

You can see The Lackloves at Flannery's on the first Tuesday of each month and the CD release party is slated for May 28 at Linneman's.